The most principal part of any sauna is the source of heat. Sauna heaters have to be constructed to produce dependably steep temperatures. You can buy gas, oil, electric, and even wood-burning sauna heaters for traditional dry saunas. Electric sauna heaters are usually left on for the entire duration of the sauna. When it comes to normal sauna heaters, electricity and wood are the most ordinary sources of energy used. However, sauna heaters fueled by natural gas or propane are more affordable and heat up very swiftly. In some countries they must be installed by licensed professionals for reasons of safety. Sauna heaters for far infrared saunas come in one of two types: carbon and ceramic varieties.

Traditional saunas have stones placed atop the sauna heater. The stones hold onto the heat from the heater, and are intended to generate hot water steam when water is sprinkled on them. Because the stones in saunas are cooled down and heated repeatedly, they have to have unique characteristics that allow them to withstand widely vacillating temperatures. When choosing the perfect sauna steam rocks, you should look for ones without any structural cracks. Sauna stones with course surfaces release hot steam faster because they have more surface area available for the moisture to contact. The addition of steam will make the sauna feel more warm due to the elevated level of ambient humidity.

Far infrared sauna heaters operate on a totally different set of principles than regular sauna heaters. Whereas ordinary sauna heaters heat rocks and air in the sauna, infrared sauna heaters heat objects with the far infrared light spectrum. Those “objects” also include the people within the sauna. As a result, the ambient air temperature in an far infrared sauna is quite a bitlower than the air temperature in a traditional sauna, though there is an excellent sensation of warming of the musclesand extremities as the infrared rays penetrate the body.

There is an ongoing debate in the world of infrared heaters as to whether carbon heaters or ceramic heaters are better. Here are some of the important and notable differing characteristics.

Carbon far infrared sauna heaters create long wave form of infrared dry heat, but they do not produce a lot of heat. Some sauna users are of the opinion that these heaters under-perform. Carbon sauna heaters are made of thin carbon plates and distribute heat evenly throughout the air, virtually eliminating the problem of so-called “hot spots.” Because the surface temperature of carbon far infrared dry sauna heaters is lower than with ceramic far infrared sauna heaters, they are considered much safer for longer duration sauna therapy sessions.

Carbon far infrared sauna heaters produce rays that are closer to the far infrared area of the electromagnetic spectrum. These wavelengths are believed by some to be the best for “healing.” Supposedly the far infrared rays penetrate deeper down into the epidermis and muscle tissue than the rays produced by the ceramic heaters. Though to-date the jury is still out on the decision of the veracity of these claims.

Ceramic infrared sauna heaters are powerful and emit a large amount of infrared heat. The infrared wavelengths emitted, however, are shorter, and argued to be less beneficial. (But, keep your skepticism in placeabout this).

At this time, there are also hybrid carbon / ceramic far infrared sauna heaters available. Made by a company Clearlight, these sauna heaters combine carbon and ceramic to output the best of both types of heat. The carbon allows the sauna heaters to produce longer wavelength infrared rays, while the ceramic gives the heaters high infrared heat output, making it quicker to concentrate the heat directly onto and into the body.

If you found this article helpful or informational please take a moment to also visit these pages, and give us your feedback where appropriate: Far Infrared Sauna Heaters and Far Infrared Sauna Kits.